Revenge
by art1st4786
Summary: Takeru has broken out of jail and wants revenge on Ran. He challenges her to a show down in the park at midnight. But there’s a twist: Yuuya’s life is on the line! Rated for mild language and violence
1. The Threat

Chapter 1: The Threat

He ran as fast as he could through the night. Men in blue suits were chasing him down. He quickly darted into a dark alley. He spotted a discarded stove by the dumpsters and climbed into that, waiting for the men to pass by. Once the sound of footsteps and shouting ceased, the young man climbed out and dusted himself off. He brushed his light blond hair out of his dark, glaring eyes. He remembered why he was being chased. Ran Kotobuki caught onto his scheme, beat him up, then had him arrested.

"I won't let her get away with this," growled the man. "Nobody messes with Takeru and gets away with it."

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"Ran, you were actually on time today!" cried out Miyu. "Miyu is so impressed!" Miyu, Aya, and Ran were walking through Shibuya after school.

"You look tired, though," noted Aya. "Is something wrong?"

"I was up all night talking to Tatsukichi," yawned Ran. "As soon as I got off the phone with him, it was almost 5 AM."

"What were you two talking about?" asked Aya.

"Just stuff," replied Ran. "Man, I'm starving! Let's get something to eat!"

"Miyu has no money," whined Miyu. Aya looked through her purse and frowned.

"I'm broke, too," pouted Aya. Ran got this pathetic look on her face. "You, too, Ran?"

"Damn it!" shouted Ran. "What's a gal got to do to get some food around here?" Without watching where she was going, she tripped on a raised part of the sidewalk by the park and went flying. At that time, Rei and Yuuya were walking towards the girls. Ran ended up crashing into Yuuya, taking him down onto the ground with her. Yuuya winced at the impact his butt made with the cement.

"Yuuya, what did I tell you?" sighed Rei softly. "Something bad always happens to you when she's around." Yuuya looked at Ran and felt his face get a little flushed. He then quickly got up and helped Ran up as well.

"Are you okay?" asked Yuuya, ignoring his best friend's snide comment.

"Who the hell raised the sidewalk?" roared Ran. Yuuya couldn't help but laugh. Ran then looked up at the blond and got an idea in her head. "Second place! You and Rei wouldn't happen to be going to get some food, were you?"

"We were actually going to go get some studying in," commented Rei. "We have midterms coming up."

"Maybe we can help you study?" asked Aya, blushing a bit.

"We're fine," replied Rei. Yuuya rubbed the back of his neck.

"We can get some food first," announced Yuuya. "My treat." Ran jumped up and shouted in glee. She and the girls started dragging the two boys to the coffee shop. Little did they know that they were being watched by Takeru and one of his buddies. The two men were hiding in the foliage the entire time, waiting for the right moment to attack Ran. They didn't expect a group to be around her, though. Takeru scowled.

"Damn it," cursed Takeru under his breath. "We have to find a way to lure her out." Takeru's black-haired friend, Shinoh, grinned.

"I heard she had a boyfriend with blond hair, though," chuckled Shinoh. "That boy must have been him. We can use him to lure her out." Takeru grinned as well.

"Let's follow them," ordered Takeru. "We'll strike when he's alone."

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Ran, Miyu, and Aya had long since left the coffee shop, and it was dark out. Rei packed up his and Yuuya's things as his best friend went to pay the bill. Yuuya returned, grabbed his things, then left with Rei. They got down the street towards the red statue of the dog, which seemed to be their meeting place a lot with the girls. As soon as they got there, Rei quickly stopped. Yuuya stopped and turned around to face Rei.

"Rei, what's up?" the blond asked.

"I left my bag at the coffee shop," fumed Rei. "I'll be right back." Yuuya nodded as he saw Rei run back towards the shop. As soon as Rei was out of his sight, his cell phone rang. He quickly picked it up and looked at the caller ID.

"Mami, what's up?" answered Yuuya.

"Why didn't you come over today?' asked his girlfriend on the other line. Yuuya cringed a bit, forgetting about meeting up with her.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "I had a study session with Rei today. We've go--" Yuuya's sentence was interrupted by a gloved hand clamping over his mouth, another arm wrapping around his upper body. A second dark figure grabbed the cell phone from Yuuya's hand and turned it off, dropping it on the ground. Yuuya struggled, letting out muffled cries for help. He was quickly silenced once the second figure pulled a knife out and held it at his throat.

"Another sound out of you and I'll slice your wind pipe wide open, pretty boy," hissed the knife-wielding figure. He was wearing a black ski mask that covered all of his face except his eyes, which were covered by dark sunglasses. The figure looked at the one holding the boy, gesturing towards going into the park. Yuuya felt himself being lifted off the ground as he was being carried into the park. Once they were out of the sight of the street by some trees, the figure holding Yuuya pushed the boy's back against the tree, grabbed his wrists, and pinned them up over his head against the trunk. The knife-wielding figure quickly placed one of his hands over Yuuya's mouth to keep him from screaming and placed the knife against his throat again. The one holding the knife grinned under his mask at the terrified boy. "Don't worry, it's not you we're after. We're after that bitch, Ran Kotobuku. You're the bait to lure her out here. If she doesn't come, however, then it's game over for you. Permanently." Yuuya's eyes widened in horror as his body began to tremble in fear. They were quickly interrupted once they heard shouts from another teenager off in the distance, which became louder with each yell.

"Yuuya!" shouted Rei. "Yuuya, where are you?" The figure holding the knife growled lowly, then looked at Yuuya, pressing the knife against his throat, drawing a little bit of blood.

"You got lucky this time," he growled. "We'll be back for you. Don't speak a word of this to anyone, especially the police and Ran. If you do, we'll kill you and your friends." He then put his knife away and backed up. The figure holding the blond pushed him onto the ground roughly, then ran off with his buddy into the trees. Yuuya pushed himself up onto his knees, staring down at the ground. Rei found Yuuya and ran over to his best friend, kneeling next to him.

"Yuuya!" cried out Rei. "Are you all right? What happened?" Rei looked at his best friend with a look of worry, then one of shock. Yuuya was visibly shaking, his blond bangs hiding his eyes. Rei slowly stood up, then offered Yuuya his hand. "C'mon, I'll take you home." Yuuya shakily took it, then started to stand up, then quickly fell down, wincing and putting a hand on his left ankle. Rei knelt down again and gently removed Yuuya's hand, checking the blond's ankle. "It's a bit swollen. Maybe you should stay at my place tonight. C'mon, let's go." Rei stood up, helping Yuuya get up, then helped his scared, injured friend walk back to Rei's place.


	2. Confusion

Chapter 2: Confusion

"Miss Kotobuku!" roared Mr. Nakanishi. "Wake up!" Ran groaned and looked up at the teacher tiredly, then buried her face into her book again, groaning again.

"Five more minutes, Naka-teach," she whined. Mr. Nakanishi rolled up the papers in his hand, then smacked Ran across the head with it, startling her to full consciousness. "Ow! You don't have to hit so hard, Naka-teach!"

"My name isn't Naka-teach! It's Mr. Nakanishi!" the teacher roared again. "The next time—" He was then interrupted by the bell, dismissing all of the students for the day. Ran squealed in delight, quickly packed up her things, then ran out of the classroom and down the hall, Aya and Miyu trailing behind her, trying to catch up with her. "Damn bell!"

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"Man, I thought he'd _never_ stop yelling!" complained Ran, walking with Miyu and Aya down the street towards the coffee shop.

"You do sleep a lot in his class," noted Aya. "I'm surprised you're still passing."

"I've just got a laid back attitude, remember?" asked Ran rhetorically. "So who's up for some food, then Kara-Mara?"

"Miyu is ready!" cried out Miyu.

"Maybe we can convince the boys to join us," suggested Aya.

"Great idea!" announced Ran. "Maybe we can convince the boys to pay this time!"

"Miyu thinks you should have no trouble getting Tatsukichi to pay," commented Miyu. They walked towards the door to the coffee shop, past the window near the seats where they normally sit. Aya noticed something different about Rei. Instead of his normal, cold expression, he had one of worry. Yuuya looked pretty spaced out as well. She snapped out of her little trance as Ran called out to her to hurry up. Aya nodded and ran over to Ran and Miyu. The three girls walked over to the table the guys were sitting at and sat down with them. Rei's normal expression quickly returned to him once he saw the gals. Rei shook Yuuya gently to get his attention.

"Yuuya, our drinks are ready. Could you get them?" asked Rei. Yuuya nodded slightly, then stood up and walked over to the counter with a slight limp. Rei then looked back at the gals. Before he could say anything, Ran began to talk.

"Okay, start talking" ordered Ran. "What happened? We saw your worried look through the window, and Second Place isn't acting like himself either." Rei frowned.

"Something happened to Yuuya last night, but I don't know what," started Rei. "We were walking home from here last night and I forgot my bag. I told him to wait at the statue and that I'd be back shortly. When I came back, his cell phone was on the ground and he was nowhere to be seen. I searched the park for him, and I eventually found him. He was on all fours on the ground, shaking, and he somehow twisted his ankle, too. He had a small cut on his neck, as well."

"Maybe he was mugged?" contemplated Miyu aloud.

"He won't tell me what happened," added Rei. "Every time I ask him, he either ignores me or changes the subject. Whatever happened to him really scared him. He stayed at my place last night since his ankle was hurt. I woke up in the middle of the night to get a drink, and when I walked past the guest room where he was staying, I could hear him crying."

"This is serious," sighed Miyu.

"We have another problem, too," stated Rei. "Or rather Ran does." Ran looked at Rei. "Takeru, the one who was using his girlfriend earlier this school year to mug people by using subsidized dates, escaped from jail the other night. Police haven't been able to find him."

"Do you think he could be after Yukie?" chimed in Miyu. Yuuya then returned with the drinks for everyone and the food the five of them usually order. Yuuya looked at Ran, having heard the last part of the conversation.

"Ran, I have a feeling he might be after you," he stated. "You did beat the living daylights out of him and got him arrested, after all. He could be looking for revenge."

"That wimp? Ha!" laughed Ran. "He was too easy!" Yuuya then smiled for the first time that day.

"I'm sure you'll whoop him just as hard as last time if you see him again," chuckled Yuuya. Rei managed to smile despite himself. It was good to see his best friend smiling like his old self again. Just then, another familiar blond stormed into the coffee shop. Ran glared at the incoming blond.

"Mami, what the hell are you doing here?" roared Ran. "You're on _my_ turf again!" Mami completely ignored Ran and stormed up to Yuuya, glaring up at him. Yuuya got a nervous look on his face.

"Yuuya, why did you hang up on me last night?" screamed Mami. Yuuya felt sweat form on his face. He didn't want her to worry, and he couldn't tell her what really happened.

"I'm sorry, Mami," apologized Yuuya. "My phone died on me." Mami's glare deepened at her boyfriend. She then slapped him across the face.

"I heard other voices, Yuuya! Don't lie to me!" yelled Mami. Yuuya rubbed where he got slapped, a hurt look on his face. Ran stormed up to Mami and pushed her away from Yuuya.

"Hey, who gave you the right to hit your boyfriend like that?" roared Ran. "Ever thought that maybe he's telling the truth?"

"Ran…" spoke Yuuya softly, although Ran didn't hear him.

"He's hurt, and you're hurting him more!" scolded Ran. Mami looked at Yuuya, who averted his sad eyes away from her gaze. Mami calmed down.

"Yuuya, I…I'm sorry," apologized Mami, hugging him. Yuuya hugged back and rested his head on hers, closing his eyes.

"It's okay, Mami," he sighed. "I'm sorry I upset you like that." As the two embraced, Rei and the other gals frowned, hearing the extra information Mami gave out. Ran sat back down and scooted closer to Miyu and Aya, the three of them and Rei huddling together a bit.

"Miyu was probably right about him being mugged," whispered Aya. Rei shook his head.

"Something else must have happened," he suggested. "None of his things were missing, and he would have reported it to the police or told me right away."

"Do you think he was…" Miyu let the last word trail off.

"I highly doubt that," interrupted Ran. "He would have reported that, too, right Rei?" Rei nodded. Aya's eyes then widened a little bit.

"Do you think Takeru attacked him?" she suggested. "Yuuya was the decoy that lured him and Yukie out, after all."

"We won't really know what happened until he tells us," sighed Rei. "_If_ he tells us…"

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"Damn it," hissed Takeru, having heard and seen everything. He was wearing a clever disguise. He wore a black wig, sunglasses, and a nice outfit. Shinoh was dressed normally, not having to worry about the police tracking him down—his record was clean. "We messed up. That boy isn't Ran Kotobuki's boyfriend."

"He knows too much, though," stated Shinoh. "They all do."

"Yeah, but I didn't think they'd be smart enough to find out on their own," fumed Takeru. He thought for a while, then looked at Shinoh. "We continue as planned."


	3. Assault

Chapter 3: Assault

Mami left, not wanting to be in Ran's presence. The five friends sat at the table and enjoyed their meals. Yuuya seemed to be in much better spirits than he was earlier that day. He was acting like his normal self again. In the middle of their conversation, Rei got a call on his cell phone. Everyone quieted down as he answered it.

"Hello?" he asked. "…Yeah…uh huh…Okay, I'll be over in a few minutes." He closed his cell phone, then stood up. "Sorry, guys. I just got called into work. One of the guys called in sick last minute."

"So who's going to take care of the tab?" asked Aya. Yuuya began to take out his wallet until Rei stopped him, taking out his own.

"My treat today," announced Rei in his usual demeanor. "I'll see you guys later. And Yuuya?" The blond boy looked at his best friend. "You know where to find me if you need anything." Yuuya smiled.

"Thanks, Rei," replied the blond. Rei walked to the counter, paid the bill, then walked out, quickly heading to the record store. Miyu checked her watch, then stood up.

"Miyu is sorry, but she has to go to work, too," apologized Miyu. "Bye!" She then ran out. Aya gathered her things, then stood up.

"I might as well go to cram school, since our plans fell through," sighed Aya. "I'll talk to you later." She then walked out of the store. Ran scowled.

"Damn, just my luck!" whined Ran. "Now what am I supposed to do the rest of the day?" Yuuya cleared his throat.

"We could, uh…go play Para Para, if you'd like," suggested Yuuya. Ran's face quickly brightened up.

"Great idea, Second Place!" she cried out in glee. She gathered her things, then started to drag Yuuya out of the shop towards the arcade. When they got there, they were happy to see that there wasn't a line at all. They got on the Para Para machine and began to dance. Ran kept winning every time, but Yuuya didn't care. He was not only happy that he was spending time with Ran, but that he wasn't alone, either. Over the course of their playing, Yuuya began to put less and less weight on his injured ankle, but it didn't stop him from moving his arms around like he was supposed to. After they got tired of dancing, they went over to one of the vending machines and got some drinks (Yuuya's treat, of course). They sat down against Hachi, the red dog statue, and enjoyed their drinks. It was not getting dark out, and they were the only two in the area. Yuuya glanced over at Ran.

"So, did you have a good time today?" he asked. Ran grinned at him and nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks a lot, Second Place," thanked Ran. "By the way…what happened last night?" Yuuya froze up. He stared down at his empty can.

"I..can't tell you," he spoke in a low voice. Ran got an annoyed look on her face.

"Why not?"

"I just can't."

"Why?"

"They'll kill us, all right?" shouted Yuuya, shutting his eyes tightly. Ran blinked in surprise as Yuuya started shaking a bit. "They said that if I said anything, that they'd kill my friends and me…that includes you, Ran." Ran placed a hand on Yuuya's trembling shoulder. He looked up at her, slightly wide-eyed. Ran grinned her usual, determined grin.

"They're dealing with Ran Kotobuki," she said. "The greatest gal in Japan! Anyone messes with my friends, they mess with me!" Yuuya smiled slightly, then hugged Ran tightly.

"Thank you, Ran!" cried Yuuya. "You have no idea how happy that makes me!"

"Not for long, Blondie," snarled a voice. Ran and Yuuya quickly stood up and looked at the person that stood before them. Ran glared daggers at the man.

"Takeru," growled Ran. "Were you the one that attacked him? What the hell's your problem?"

"Revenge, Kotobuki," explained Takeru, crossing his arms, leaning against his car that was parked in front of the teens. "You not only ruined my plans and got my girlfriend to break up with me, but you got me thrown in jail. Like hell I'm going to stand here and let this slide."

"Then say it to my face!" scolded Ran. "Don't drag my friends into this!" Takeru grinned.

"It's too late for that, girly," snickered Takeru. He gestured behind her. She turned around to see Shinoh tightly holding a frightened Yuuya with a gun pointed to his head. "You see, he knows too much of our plan. We were originally going to get your boyfriend, but we mistook this idiot for him." Ran glared at Takeru again. "Make a move for him right now and he won't hesitate to pull the trigger and blow the boy's brains out. If you want to see him again alive, then come to Shibuya Park by the fountain at midnight. We'll have our final showdown. If you win, I'll turn myself back into the police and we'll release your little friend. If I win…" He began to chuckle. "Let's just say neither of you will like the results."

"Ran, don't do it!" shouted Yuuya frantically. Shinoh growled, then hit Yuuya hard in the head with the gun, knocking the blond out. He picked the unconscious Yuuya up and got into the car. Takeru then quickly got into the driver's side of the car and sped off, Ran running after the car.

"Damn it, get back here!" she screamed. "Yuuya!" She eventually stopped running and collapsed onto her knees, very short of breath. Once she caught her breath, she quickly got up and pulled out her cell phone.

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Rei locked the doors to the store and sighed, exhausted. He wasn't expecting a lot of customers to come into the store when he first got there, but then he remembered that the hot new CD from some pop band he didn't care about came out that day. He was also harassed by more fan girls wanting his picture and autograph. As he walked down the street, he pulled out his cell phone.

"I should give Yuuya a call and see if he's okay," spoke Rei. Before he could dial any numbers, his phone rang. "Speak of the devil." He answered the call and put the cell phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Rei!" cried out Ran on the other line. He had to pull the phone away from his ear for a split second and winged a bit from the loud noise. He then put the phone back against his ear.

"Ran? What's wrong?" asked Rei.

"We were right!" she yelled. "Takeru was behind the attack! And now he and his buddy have Yuuya!" Rei's eyes widened.

"They what?"


	4. Daring Rescue

Chapter 4: Daring Rescue

Ran called an emergency meeting at Yamato's police box with Rei, Miyu, Aya, and Yamato. They sat at the table and tried to come up with a plan to rescue Yuuya and get Takeru back in jail.

"Ran, this is police business now since there was a kidnapping," spoke Yamato.

"That coward is challenging me, and I always keep my promises! That's an iron clad rule for Gals!" yelled Ran.

"I think I have an idea," piped in Aya. Everyone turned to look at her. "Ran will go meet Takeru to accept his challenge. Yuuya will probably be guarded by the other guy. Rei, you'll go locate Yuuya and try to get him to safety. Miyu and I will get a trap ready for the second guy. As soon as he's disabled, Miyu will signal for Yamato to get the police to make the arrests." Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Yamato.

"It's too dangerous for you all," explained Yamato. "According to Ran, they have guns and knives."

"So?" questioned Ran. "I've dealt with them before. They're no big deal." Miyu then hugged Yamato's arm and looked up at him, trying to give him the sad, puppy-dog look.

"Yamato wouldn't want to upset his Miyu, now would he?" asked Miyu. "Miyu promises to be careful, and will let you know when to bring the police in." Yamato sighed, then nodded.

"Very well, I'm in."

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Yuuya slowly opened his eyes, then closed them again quickly to shut out the ringing pain in his head. Once he suppressed the pain, he opened his eyes again and looked around. There were a couple of trees in his line of view, and behind the trees were a sidewalk, and further down resided a light post. He then tried to move his arms, but found that he was bound to a tree. His hands were tied together behind the trunk of the tree, and another rope was tied around the tree and his upper body to keep him there. The way he was positioned added pressure to his already injured ankle. He lowered his head and sighed, then realized a piece of cloth was tied around his head, covering his mouth. He lifted his head again and saw Shinoh walking in front of him, grinning.

"So, Prince Charming has finally woken up," snickered Shinoh. Yuuya glared at him defiantly. Shinoh laughed, then pulled out his gun and pointed it at the blond. Yuuya's eyes widened in horror and he stiffened up. "You were told not to talk about the plan at all. Even that little bit about us killing you was too much information to be let out. Takeru said that after the fight with Ran, win or lose, that I could kill you." Yuuya's skin turned as white as a sheet as sweat began to form on his face. He began trembling again after Shinoh walked away from Yuuya and waited on the sidewalk to keep watch.

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Ran approached the fountain, cracking her knuckles. She looked ahead at the fountain and saw a figure standing in front of it. She glared deeply at him, knowing it was Takeru. _Nobody hurts my friends and gets away with it,_ thought Ran. _That coward's in for a major ass-whooping!_

Takeru looked up and saw Ran approaching him. He grinned wickedly. He felt very confident that he was going to win, and that he would get his revenge. Once Ran was mere yards away from him, he crossed his arms and looked at her.

"So, you made it," spoke Takeru. "And you're early. You must be eager to lose."

"Cut the crap, Takeru!" yelled Ran. "Where's Yuuya?"

"He's in the park somewhere," taunted Takeru. "You'll have to get through me, first. My buddy is guarding him, so if you find him, you'll find your pathetic friend."

"You're the pathetic one, Scumbag," hissed Ran. "Taking somebody hostage to get what you want. And you're stupid, too. You're challenging the great Ran Kotobuki!"

"Enough chit-chat, bitch!" shouted Takeru. "Let's start this!" Ran got into a ready stance and grinned.

"Ladies first."

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"He's in the park somewhere like we suspected," spoke Aya on her cell phone. "He's being guarded, though. Please be careful, Rei." Rei nodded.

"I will, I promise," replied Rei, hanging up. He ran throughout the park, trying to find his best friend. As he ran down a sidewalk, he spotted a figure up ahead. He dove into the trees before he could be spotted. He began to make his way through the trees as quietly as he could. He spotted up ahead a pair of hands tied together against the trunk. Through the ropes on one of the wrists, he spotted a familiar watch. "Yuuya…"

"I thought I heard something," said the figure Rei saw earlier. Rei tensed up and hid behind one of the larger trees. Shinoh, the one Rei saw, made his way past the tied up Yuuya and looked around the surrounding area. "It sounded like it came from over here." He cocked his gun and put his finger on the trigger, keeping the gun in front of him at arm's length. He began to get closer to Rei. Rei ducked down, then darted at Shinoh quickly, elbowing him in the stomach as hard as he could. Shinoh dropped the gun and doubled over, staggering backwards. Rei kicked the gun pretty far away from them, then kicked Shinoh in the head to knock him down. Shinoh fell onto his side, wincing. Rei quickly ran over to Yuuya, took out his pocket knife, and cut the ropes. Yuuya pulled the gag off his face and leaned against the tree, taking all the weight off his ankle. He smiled slightly at Rei, though it was pretty obvious that Yuuya was terrified.

"Th-Thanks, Rei," spoke Yuuya shakily. Rei turned around and knelt down a bit.

"Climb onto my back," ordered Rei. "I'll get you to the others. Hurry before he gets up." Yuuya looked behind the tree at Shinoh, who was beginning to get up. Yuuya climbed onto Rei's back piggy-back style. Rei stood up and started running down the sidewalk. Shinoh quickly took in what happened and chased after the boys in hot pursuit. Yuuya looked behind him and saw that Shinoh was quickly catching up. He clung to Rei tighter and buried his face into his friend's shoulder, letting out a frightened whimper. Rei started to quicken his pace. "Yuuya, you seriously need to lay off the desserts for a while."

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Miyu was hiding in a bush on the side of the sidewalk. She looked across the sidewalk at Aya, who was also hiding in a bush. A rope was laid across the sidewalk between the two bushes. They looked down the sidewalk and saw Rei quickly running in their direction with Yuuya in tow and Shinoh in hot pursuit, almost within arm's reach of the boys. Rei quickly ran past the rope and stopped about fifty yards away. As soon as Shinoh got close enough, Aya nodded to Miyu.

"Now!" shouted Aya. The two gals pulled on the rope and tripped Shinoh. They quickly got to Shinoh and proceeded to hog tie him. Before Shinoh could yell out, Miyu stuck a dirty sock into his mouth. The two girls stood up, then looked at Rei, smirking and giving him a thumbs up. Rei walked over to the girls, still carrying Yuuya. Rei lifted his right shoulder a bit to get Yuuya's attention. Yuuya lifted his head a bit as Rei smiled.

"It's over now, Yuuya," said Rei. "You can get down now." Yuuya shut his eyes tightly and shook his head. Rei sighed, a bit annoyed. "You're heavy. Get off." Yuuya then climbed off of Rei's back, but didn't let go of him. He kept an arm around Rei's shoulders to keep his balance as he put very little weight on his ankle. Rei helped him stand up, then looked at Miyu, nodding to her. Miyu took out her cell phone and dialed Yamato's number.

"Yamato, sweetie," chirped Miyu. "It's your turn."

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Ran and Takeru were in a heated fist-fight. Ran did more blocking than punching, though. Neither of the two were hurt, and their fight had been like this for a good half hour. Takeru growled as he jumped back to catch his breath.

"You're holding back, I know you are!" he screamed. "Come on! Fight me!"

"I'll pound your face in when I feel like it," retorted Ran. Suddenly, she heard her cell phone ring in her purse a few feet away. Ran and Takeru looked at the purse, then at each other. Ran grinned, pulling her sleeves up. "And that time is now!"

"What the hell?" shouted Takeru, very confused. Ran darted up to him and punched him hard in the face. Takeru staggered back, holding his bleeding nose. Ran then punched him in the stomach, then threw him over her shoulder onto the hard cement on his back. He winced in a lot of pain and started to get up, but Ran put her foot on his neck, grinning down at him.

"I was only holding back so my friends could get Yuuya to safety," explained Ran. Takeru's eyes widened in rage.

"You brought your friends along?" protested Takeru.

"Duh, of course I did," sighed Ran, annoyed. "You never said I had to come alone. Oh, and since I obviously won this battle, you have to turn yourself into the police." Almost as if on cue, sirens began to blare. Ran grinned. "I thought I'd bring the police to you instead."

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There will be more to this story, don't worry. Expect Chapter 5 soon!


	5. Falling

Chapter 5: Falling

Takeru and Shinoh were immediately taken into police custody. An ambulance had arrived at the scene as well in case there were any injuries. They treated Yuuya's injuries at the scene, putting new dressings on his ankle and bandaging up the wound on his head where the gun hit him. Ran got some ice for her left arm (she used it a lot to block punches). After the teens were interrogated by the detectives at the scene, they went their separate ways.

The next day, Ran quickly ran to school, trying not to be late again. She was running down the hallway as the bell rang. She cursed to herself, then ran into the classroom and sat in her seat. She looked around and saw that everyone was staring at her. Mr. Nakanishi then walked up to her desk and looked down at her.

"Ms. Kotobuki," he started, "I don't want to hear your lame excuse for why you don't have your homework today. I don't even want to hear your lame excuse for being late to my class again. I saw the news from last night, so I'm going to let it slide for today."

"Awesome, Naka-teach!" exclaimed Ran. "Can I take a nap then?"

"Absolutely not!" he shouted. "Let's begin today's lesson, shall we?"

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Though he didn't show it, Rei couldn't stand seeing Yuuya being so down. He stared at his blond friend. Yuuya had his face buried in his arms, resting on the table. He didn't want to show his face. He felt terrible about the previous night. Rei looked around, then put a hand on Yuuya's shoulder. Yuuya's body twitched a bit, then relaxed.

"Yuuya, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I put her in danger," sighed Yuuya sadly. "I put all of you in danger…Ran could have been seriously hurt, you could have been shot—"

"And you could have been dead," interrupted a familiar female voice. Yuuya lifted his head a bit and looked up at the owner of the voice.

"Ran…" breathed Yuuya. Ran placed her hand on Yuuya's other shoulder and looked him in the eyes. Miyu and Aya looked on from behind her.

"You're our friend, Yuuya," explained Ran. "There's no way in hell we'd let those guys do anything to you—or anyone for that matter!" Yuuya looked up at the girls, who nodded to him, smiling. Yuuya then looked at Rei, who nodded as well. Yuuya felt tears well up in his eyes. He then hugged Ran and sobbed into her shoulder. He didn't care about his image at the moment. He was too happy. Ran blinked, then hugged him back comfortingly.

"Th-Thank you, Ran!" cried Yuuya. All of a sudden, the doors to the diner swung wide open. In the doorway stood none other than Mami Honda.

"Kotobuki!" shouted Mami. "Keep your hands off my boyfriend! Go back to that monkey-boy of yours!" Ran let go of Yuuya and glared at her.

"Don't you have something better to do than whine?" yelled Ran. "Your boyfriend could really use some support right now!"

"He should have come to me if he wanted that," stated Mami. Yuuya then stood up.

"Cut her some slack, okay?" pleaded Yuuya. Mami turned to him.

"Why would you go to her first instead of me, Yuuya?" interrogated Mami, crossing her arms.

"She's my friend, that's why," replied Yuuya matter-of-factly.

"Do you love her or something?" asked Mami. Yuuya fell silent. Mami walked up to him. "Do you love me?" Yuuya opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. Mami got in his face. "Well?" Again, Yuuya said nothing. He just looked away. Mami clenched her fists tightly, then punched Yuuya in the face. With the condition his ankle was in, he lost his footing and fell onto his side. Miyu, Aya, and Rei quickly went to his side while Ran started pushing Mami out of the diner.

"What the hell is your problem, Bakuro bitch?" screamed Ran. "Hasn't he been through enough?" Mami ignored her and looked at Yuuya angrily over Ran's shoulder.

"It's over between us, Yuuya Asoh! We're through!" yelled Mami. Ran then completely pushed Mami out of the diner and kept the door shut. Mami then turned around to be greeted by a very large, angry mob of girls.

"You hurt our Yuuya!"

"How dare you?"

"Poor Yuuya!"

"Get out of here!"

"He doesn't deserve you!"

"BEAT IT!"

Mami was all alone. She just ran as far away as she could from there. Ran laughed as the mob chased her out of Shibuya. Ran then turned around and saw Rei helping Yuuya stand up. Ran walked over and looked at Yuuya.

"Second place, you deserve much better than her," stated Ran. "Are you okay?" Yuuya stared at her, then lowered his head.

"I just…want to go home," choked Yuuya. Rei grabbed his things and Yuuya's, then nodded to him.

"I'll take you home," announced Rei quietly. He turned to the girls. "I guess we'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Why don't we come along?" asked Aya. Miyu smiled.

"Yes, Miyu wants to come, too," added Miyu. Ran grinned.

"Let's go then!" exclaimed Ran. Yuuya blinked. Rei remained indifferent.

"Whatever. Let's go."

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Tatsuki made his way off the train and walked out into the open air. He looked around, then made his way to Hachi. He'd normally wait there for Ran, since they usually met up there everyday. He waited for quite a while, wondering where Ran could possibly have been. She was later than usual. He looked around again, then saw her and the usual gang heading toward the train station. He grew very excited, then ran over to them, waving his arms around and shouting so he could get Ran's attention.

"Ran! Ran baby! I'm over here!" shouted Tatsuki. In the thick crowd, he tripped over someone's foot, stumbled, then crashed into Rei and Yuuya, all three boys being knocked down onto the ground with a thud. The girls helped the three get up. Rei shot Tatsuki a cold look.

"Think you could watch where you're going next time?" spat Rei. Tatsuki got an apologetic look on his face.

"Sorry! I was trying to get Ran's attention and tripped," apologized Tatsuki.

"You knocked over an injured guy, Tatsukichi," scolded Ran, gesturing to Yuuya, who was brushing himself off. Tatsuki started brushing off Yuuya's shoulders.

"I'm sorry there, my brother!" apologized Tatsuki again. Yuuya shooed Tatsuki's hands away, suddenly getting very dizzy.

"I'm not your…your brother…" retorted Yuuya before he collapsed. Tatsuki quickly caught him as a large crowd started surrounding the teens. A police whistle blew and people began parting the way for Yamato to get through.

"Everybody pull back! Give him some air!" commanded Yamato. He took the unconscious Yuuya from Tatsuki's arms and laid him on the ground. He checked his vitals; they were all good. Yamato then turned Yuuya's head to the side a bit and saw that blood was seeping through the bandages on his head. Ran saw the blood and a very worried look came across her face. Yamato then grabbed his walkie-talkie and pressed the side button. "Kotobuki to HQ! Requesting an ambulance in front of Shibuya Station! I repeat: Requesting an ambulance in front of Shibuya Station!"


	6. Hearts

Chapter 6: Hearts

An ambulance arrived at the scene shortly after Yamato called for help. Yuuya was immediately taken to the hospital. Ran, Miyu, Aya, Rei, and Tatsuki rode in the ambulance to stay with Yuuya and make sure he was going to be okay (Yamato had to go back to work).

Once they arrived at the hospital, the others were sent to the waiting room while Yuuya was being taken care of. Everyone sat down, except for a pacing Ran and a standing Tatsuki, who was trying to calm her down. Miyu was reading a magazine while Aya was watching Rei worriedly. She had always known him to be calm and cool under pressure, but this was the first time she ever saw Rei looking more than just worried. She put a hand on his shoulder gently.

"Rei, everything is going to be okay," assured Aya. "You don't need to be…"

"Scared?" asked Rei, still looking at the ground. Aya frowned as Rei sighed. "Yuuya is my best friend, and even though I don't always show it, I worry about him. And with everything that's happened to him lately, that worry has turned into fear. I got scared when I heard he was kidnapped, and I got even more so when he passed out earlier."

"Miyu thinks Second Place will be okay," chimed in Miyu. "He's a strong person, and he'll pull through."

"Besides, nothing looks life-threatening," added Aya. Rei looked at her, then smiled slightly. He put a hand over the one that was on his shoulder and nodded to her.

"Thanks, Aya, Miyu," thanked Rei. He then looked over at Tatsuki, who was still trying to calm Ran down. "I think you should be worrying more about those two than me, though." The girls looked at the scene and listened.

"Ran Baby, I said I was sorry!" apologized Tatsuki. "I had no idea!" Ran finally stopped pacing and turned around, putting a hand on her hips and glaring at Tatsuki.

"The bandages on his head weren't enough of a clue, Monkey Boy!?" yelled Ran. "Things have been really hard on Yuuya lately, and you putting him in the hospital isn't helping!"

"I'm so sorry, Ran! Believe me!" pleaded Tatsuki. Ran just put a hand up to silence him.

"You've really been getting on my nerves lately, Tatsukichi!" scolded Ran. "This is just the tip of the iceburg!"

"Wait, Ran, you're not saying what I think you're saying, are you?" asked Tatsuki, starting to sound hurt.

"I've had enough of you, Tatsukichi!" shouted Ran. "I want you to get out of my face and out of my life!" Aya and Miyu's eyes were as wide as saucers when they heard those words come out of Ran's mouth. Tatsuki's eyes were just as wide as he backed away from her.

"Ouch! That—that hurt! I felt that one go in deep!" choked Tatsuki. Ran was starting to lose her patience.

"Enough with the dramatics!" screamed Ran. "Get out of here!" Tatsuki stared at Ran, her image turning wavy due to the tears in his eyes. He quickly turned around on his heel and darted out of the hospital. Ran let out a frustrated sigh, then flopped down into a chair. Miyu and Aya went over to their best friend.

"Ran, are you okay?" asked Miyu. Ran sighed.

"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Ran, finally calming down. "But seriously, he was getting really annoying. And putting Yuuya into the hospital was the last straw for me!"

"Miyu is noticing that you aren't calling him 'Second Place' that much anymore," noted Miyu. Ran blinked in surprise.

"Seriously?" she asked. Aya, Miyu, and Rei nodded. "I wasn't even paying attention to that." Rei then looked over at the doctor that was coming down the hall.

"Speaking of Yuuya…" spoke Rei, slowly getting up. The girls joined Rei and walked over to the doctor. "Is he okay?" The doctor nodded.

"That fall he took reopened his wound, but we got him patched up again," explained the doctor. "We ran some tests and he has a mild concussion, but he should be fine in a week or so. He just needs to take it easy for a while." Everyone sighed in relief. "He'll be down in about a half hour to go home."


End file.
